Now there is little fear of our
confounding the persons, as some people used to do in old times; but
there is great fear of our dividing God's substance, parting God's
substance, that is, fancying that God is made up of different parts,
and not perfectly one God.
For people are very apt to talk as if God's love and God's justice
were two different things, different parts of God; as if his justice
had to be satisfied in one way, and his love in another; as if his
justice wished to destroy sinners, and his love wished to save
sinners; and so they talk as if there was a division in God; as if
different attributes of God were pulling two different ways, and
that God has parts of which one desires to do one thing, and one
part another. It sounds shocking, I am sure you will feel, when I
put it into plain English. I wish it to sound shocking. I wish you
to feel how wrong and heretical it is; that you may keep clear of
such notions, and believe the orthodox faith, that God has neither
parts nor passions, nor division in his substance at all, but is
absolutely and substantially one; and that, therefore, his love and
his justice are the very same things; his justice, however severe it
may seem, is perfect love and kindness; and his love is no
indulgence, but perfect justice.
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